Humutts
by piratewitch92
Summary: Kept hidden from the districts of Panem, the Capitol has been experimenting with a new race of muttations. This is the story of the leader of these new mutts. takes place before the events of the book/movie
1. Chapter 1

Humutts

_The Humutts experiment was initiated in an attempt to create a better breed of entertainment. These humanoid mutations would replace normal tributes in the Hunger Games. Children were injected with modified animal DNA after conception to make them stronger than the average tribute. There was a high level of optimism in this project's success. _

_However, at first all attempts failed. None of the Humutts survived to birth. Eventually, just as the project was to be terminated, a humutt survived. As more were born, a new problem arose. It proved impossible to keep both mother and child alive. One or the other would die in childbirth. For this reason, the project was shut down. _

_The surviving Humutts were moved into a hidden training facility. Their new purpose was to be soldiers for the Capitol in case of attack. An attempt was made to introduce Humutts to the other citizens of Panem. The attempt, however, proved unsuccessful, due to some unruly Humutts and fear from the citizens. _

_Due to these events, the Humutts program was completely terminated. The Capitol reported that the Humutts had been wiped out by disease shortly afterwards. The original training center was destroyed. Any trace of the Humutts was destroyed and eventually faded from memory. The Humutts no longer existed._

Yeah right…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

The teacher droned on about history in his monotone voice as I stared out the window, not listening to a single word he said. I had heard this story a million times before. And besides, it was such a beautiful day outside. The sky was a vibrant turquoise blue with the sun shining it's brilliant warmth in the center. It almost made the metallic walls of the Capitol sparkle like gems. My ears twitched anxiously at the thought of just running through the streets, wind running through my hair and fur. Nowhere as good as it must be to race through a forest but I'll take what I can get.

"Class dismissed!" The shrill ringing of the bell calling an end to class brought me back to reality. I stretched, my ears flattening against my head as my tail straightened out stiffly. My desk partner and best friend, Elona or Loni for short, watched.

"Dreaming of sweet freedom again, Hope?" I groaned as my muscles relaxed.

"Am I that transparent?" We both laughed as we gathered out books, already knowing the answer. I never pay attention in any classroom with a window. It was near impossible.

"It's you, Hope. If there's a window, your eyes make a beeline for it. And yet you have no problems with schoolwork!" Loni's golden hair made waves as she shook her head. "I want your genes, Hope! A good-looking brainic for a father, it's like the complete package!" I gave her a look of disgusted disbelief.

"I know you did not just call my father good looking. That is sick!"

"Well, I can't help it if your dad's a complete dreamboat!" Loni continued to ramble on as we left the classroom and I was once more faced with my reality.

Many other children were filing into the hall, some normal, some like me sporting various animal features. School was on the first floor of our tower so occasional doors gave enticing passage to the outside world. Unfortunately, peacekeepers guarded every door, trapping Humutts with animal features inside. It has been this way since the Incident. My tail twitched in a mixture of annoyance at my imprisonment and terror at the memory. No Humutt was allowed outside our hidden training center, period. We were trapped here, "protected."

"Loni, is something happening today?" All of the peacekeepers seemed to be on edge. That never bode well for what we would find in the tech lab. Loni bit her lip nervously.

"Grandfather's coming tomorrow." I sighed, frowning. Grandfather meant President Snow and President Snow meant Father being extra neurotic. Loni, being my best friend, easily read my distaste at the thought. "Hope, please try to play nice… He is my grandfather…"

"Which is the only reason he gets any semblance of respect from me." My friend smiled a little, knowing very well that was the best she was going to get. I do not like President Snow in any way, shape, or form. He was the reason we were kept in this blasted tower. "We should probably find Dad before one of the noobs end up fired."

"Not to mention, he's so cute when he's angry. I rolled my eyes at her. Loni's always been a bit boy crazy. And with her perfect blue-eyed blonde combo, men flocked to her. Of course, she didn't sport a tail or animal ears like I did.

See, all of us Humutts have some form of animal DNA in us. But we don't all have obvious animal features. Loni was one of those lucky ones. The only possible giveaways on her were the elongated canines and slight hiss to her S's. I, on the other hand, have a pair of white tiger ears on the top of my head and a matching tail. That meant I pretty much had permanent residency in this building. Whoopie.

A twitch of the ear and the extremely faint sound of yelling heralded the presence of my loving if somewhat OCD father and head of the Humutts program, Seneca Crane. "Sounds like Father's really on a roll today." Loni gave me a confused look before she remembered my advanced hearing.

"How bad?"

"Three girls scared, one guy intimidated, and one Crane very, very tense."

"No offense, but your dad is almost always tense." I had to roll my eyes at that fact.

"Ok. A tense-r Crane."

"'Tense-r' is not a word."

"Shut up."

"Of all the days for you IDIOTS to let one of the computers break down!" Loni and I came to an abrupt halt at that. Boy, was my dad ticked.

"Well," Loni started. "Now we know what's making him so mad." I nodded, leading the way into the tech lab. From what we just heard, I honestly wasn't completely sure what to expect.

Luckily, the lab was still in one piece. Father wasn't a particularly violent man but if he was frustrated enough, motherboards have been known to fly. Today, however, he seemed to be trying to fix the problem rather than toss it. A pair of tan-clad legs was sticking out of the computer's underneath, indicating he was attempting to correct whatever was wrong with the computer. "Father?" A clang and pained grunt of annoyance answered. "You ok?"

"No! I am not ok!" On that note, the missing half reappeared, be smudged in all manner of liquid computer innards. Yet his intricately carved beard remained clean and perfect. I swear that thing is indestructible. "The main computer refuses to work. And I've tried everything to fix it!"

"Let me give it a shot?" My father released a rather ungentlemanly huff and kicked the computer.

"If you think you can." I sat at the computer, prepared to perform programming surgery on this computer as Crane continued to ramble. "We can't have the main computer breaking down now. It has all our data on it and President Snow is going to be here-"

"Tomorrow," Loni interrupted. "Grandfather isn't coming until tomorrow, Mr. C. No need to get your knickers in a twist yet."

"Besides it's just a little program glitch. Nothing to panic about." I quickly took care of the offending glitch, hopefully restoring some peace of mind to me father. Judging by his continued frantic pacing however, I'd say it didn't nothing for his nerves. "Father, you can relax. It's not a crime."

"You make it sound so simple, Hope." Loni rolled her blue eyes.

"S-seriously, C. If you keep panicking like this, you'll be stuck in bed during Grandfather's visit. An obnoxiously flirtatious smile made its way onto her face. "Granted… That would mean you need a nurse. And…" I had to roll my eyes as my best friend cozily wrapped herself around my father. I know she's just playing but it was still kinda gross. "I know a particularly enthusiastic volunteer…" Father chuckled.

"As tempting as that sounds, Elona, I'm pretty sure your grandfather would not be pleased to find us in a possibly compromising position." He kissed her hand.

"Oh gag!" I pretended to cough and gag, eliciting a giggle from Loni. "The mental images! I'm traumatized."

"Drama queen," Loni muttered playfully, sitting on me.

"Mutt."

"That's Ms. Mutt to you." Father rolled his eyes.

"Girls, can I have my chair back? I have work to do."

"No," we answered in unison. He shook his head at us. Being cooped up in this building, we had to entertain ourselves somehow and Father was a perfect target.

"Out of my chair, you two. I'm pretty sure you two need to be somewhere else." I rolled my eyes at him.

"Are you saying you don't want to spend time with your daughter?"

"Of course I do, Hope. But we're both busy. I believe you two are supposed to be in training right now. In fact…"

"Cripes! We're late!" I grabbed Loni's wrist, practically dragging her out of the computer lab. We really didn't need to be late for training. School was one thing to be tardy for, training was a whole nother kettle of fish. I had to sprint at top speed to even hope for being on time. Not an easy task with Loni wearing four-inch heels.

Even in my mad dash though, I did not fail to her my smart alec father chuckle, "Works every time."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

As it turns out, we being late was just a bluff. We were actually five minutes early which gave Loni sufficient time to chew me out for making her run in her good heels. I, of course, don't see how four inch high death traps can be "good." But if those were her good heels then fine. I can't stop her. Besides, I still had some extra time on my hands. Being the oldest Humutt, I didn't actually start my training immediately. I just had to "oversee" the others while they were training.

So I took my place at my favorite window. It provided the most amazing view of the lake, woods, and mountains surrounding the Capitol. I pulled out a small silver tube out of my pocket, more out of habit than necessity. Pressing a small button on the side, the tube extended into a full-sized fighting staff. My favorite weapon. Father had designed it exclusively for me. It only responded to either my voice or fingerprint.

As I started cleaning my staff, my gaze drifted out the window, which for once was open. A warm breeze blew in, bringing with it the various artificial scents of Panem's Capitol. I sighed. Our tower was surrounded by an invisible force field that kept it hidden from the rest of the world. However, it allowed the wind and water to pass through it. Sometimes I would wander if the field ended at the lake's surface. I smiled, imagining a watery escape.

It would have to be at night. I know there is a door where the peacekeepers always fall asleep. I'd have to be my most silent if I was going to make it to the water. From there, I had two options: take a boat to the known edge of the field or swim there. Taking a boat would conserve energy but could leave an arrow to a search for me. Swimming would take more energy but it was easier to hide and covered my tracks. From there it was simply a deep breath away from sweet freed-

"HOPE!" I jumped, nearly losing my staff out the window. Royelle had far too loud a voice for her animal. "Wakey, wakey."

"What? What?" Royelle flipped her fiery curls over her shoulder, giving me a reprimanding look. Nothing I'm not used to.

"Seneca's Angels are wanted to give a demonstration." I rolled my eyes at the title. "Seneca's Angels" was a nickname almost everyone used in reference to me and my three best friends: Loni, Elli, and Royelle. We're the best team and the best fighters. Plus we were the oldest of the Humutts and therefore had more training and experience. Therefore, we were the ones to demonstrate new techniques.

"What are we doing?"

"Three against one defense. You're the one."

"But of course." I took my place between the mass of students and my three best friends, the girls behind me. "Offense or defense?"

"Defense," I heard our instructor call. Simple enough. The girls would throw their best attacks at me and all I had to do was block. However, they didn't all attack the same way. Three different attacks meant three different defenses.

I closed my eyes, focusing everything to my sense of hearing. A few of the younger girls were gossiping about a boy. Tune out. Air conditioning was humming annoyingly. Tune out. Whiz of a thrown knife. I ducked to the left, twisting and bringing my staff up to block. The knife bounced right off, clattering to the floor. A spin of my staff knocked Royelle's next two daggers. Royelle's down.

Elli's next. Her attack is head on, stiletto sharp sai aimed at me. The swipe was easily ducked. However, I ended up with a slight slash in my shirt from barely dodging her attack from below. Too close. Luckily, she never held her sai properly. All I had to do was hook my staff into the handles to completely throw her off. Elli hit the ground hard. Two down, one to go.

Loni was last to attack. Her method was vicious sword attacks. This would be the hardest. Loni was the least quiet, lunging with a high-pitched cry. The attempt to throw me off by hurting my ears didn't work like she planned. I didn't drop my staff when my hands flew up to protect my ears, creating an effective block. Her blade met my staff with a resounding CLANG! Loni was strong, pushing hard on my staff to try and knock my over. I felt my shoes sliding on the slick metal floor from the pressure. So much for non-skid. Finally getting a good grip on the floor, I was finally able to knock her off. Being the stronger of the two of us, I pushed a bit too hard, sending her skidding across the floor.

All three girls down. That went much faster than expected. Usually Loni and I take much longer in our battles. When she makes it easy, it means she's up to something. The question was should I be worried?

"Close." With a whoosh, my staff returned to pocket size. I tucked it into my pocket… as the hilt of Loni's sword made painful contact with my nose. This led to my very "graceful" fall onto my rear. That came out of nowhere! I definitely should have trusted that gut instinct. Well, too late for that. "Ow!" Note to self: don't touch a broken nose.

The bell sounded, heralding the end of training. Loni offered me a hand up. "Looks like you need a nurse."

"Feels like it too." I pinched my nose in an attempt to stop the bleeding. "How did you pull that off?" It wasn't impossible for anyone to catch me off-guard and clock me like that, but it wasn't exactly common either. Loni shrugged.

"Got lucky I guess." I rolled my eyes at that. "Or I just wanted to give you a bloody nose for your birthday. Either or."

"Oh thanks." My birthday was the day after Snow's visit. It would be like Loni to give me a bloody nose for my birthday though. She's the only one I would trust to bust my nose. I sound utterly ridiculous.

"Nice fighting with you, Hopey," Royelle chirped. Her face went from overly perky smile to grimace at my nose. "Eww. Loni, why did you break her nose?"

"Why would you assume it was me?" Loni asked, insulted.

"Because no one else can ever get that close to her," Elli chirped in. "So are we all converging on Hope's place?"

"Don't you always?" We all laughed.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

By the time we reached my family's apartment, an entire floor in the tower, our party had grown by two. Zathan and Duck added some variety to our otherwise female group. I was used to this. Zathan was the alpha male to me and Duck… well, Duck was Duck. He just kinda did his own thing.

"So who clocked your nose, Hope?" Zathan asked as I was unlocking the door. "And why wasn't it me?" Because generally they didn't train males and females together? I rolled my eyes.

"Loni got me in training today. I was careless." I shrugged. "No big whoopee pie."

"Loni, really. There's no need to injure Hope over Lil Ole me," Duck joked flirtatiously. "There's plenty of Duck to go around." Loni laughed.

"Actually, it was over her dad. She says I'm not allowed to flirt with him! The audacity!"

"You never were! He's my fath-" A scream rang through the halls of the tower, stopping our reverie. Unfortunately… we were all used to such occurrences. Snow's method of keeping us Humutts in line. We all knew very well who… or what was hidden deep down in the basement levels of our tower as well as what was happening. But no one dared to even breathe a word…

"Dora." My thoughts were instantly overrun with concern for my little sister, who should be in bed by now. However, those screams always woke her up. I made a beeline for Dora's room, leaving my friends to fend for themselves. They knew where everything was, practically living here anyway.

Sure enough, Dora was sitting up in her bed, hands clamped over her ears. I was used to the screams as they occurred every night, but Dora was several years younger than I. Her youthful innocence couldn't bear the sound of torture. "Hey, Dora." She instantly turned towards me.

"Sissy…" I sat beside her, pulling the mousey girl close. I wasn't even caring about my friends right now. All that mattered was Dora. "I'm scared…" Her arms snaked tightly around my waist. "Will he…"

"No, Dors. Snow's not that dumb." I gently rocked her, nuzzling the top of her head. "You could never EVER do anything to warrant that… You are far too good…" This eased her trembling a little.

"He's coming tomorrow…" I didn't respond. I certainly wasn't going to lie to her about it. There was no point in denying the truth. "Why?"

"I don't know… He just pops in to check on us every now and then." I smiled at her in an attempt at reassurance. "Nothing too serious. You'll just have to stand in formation. Maybe answer 'Yes, Sir' or 'No, Sir' a few times." She nodded but I could easily read the nerves in her eyes. "Want me to sing you to sleep?" That always calmed her right down.

"Please, Sissy?" I smiled.

"Get comfy." Dora flashed a blindingly bright smile before snuggling up under her sheets. She got waaaaay too excited over my singing to her. But it made her happy so I continued doing it. It didn't take very long for her to get cozy, so I went aheard and pressed play on her nearby stereo. A soft guitar melody rose from it, providing the base for the lullaby from my mother's native District 2.

"_I remember tears streaming down your face when I said I'd never let you go…_

_When all those shadows almost killed your light…"_

Her eyes were already drifting closed, making me smile through the song. She was never able to last through the first chorus.

"_I remember you saying 'don't leave me here alone'…_

_But all that's dead and gone and past tonight…"_

I noticed an echo in the guitar and turned to find my father sitting in the corner, accompanying the recording on his guitar. This was a rare treat as, like me, Father was very private about this talent. It was reserved solely for Dora and I. I must have stopped singing in my thoughts because Dora stirred and Father mouthed "Go on."

"_Just close your eyes…_

_The sun is going down…_

_You'll be alright…_

_No one can hurt you now…_

_Come morning light…_

_You and I'll be safe…_

_And…_

_Sound…"_

By this time, Dora was out cold. I smiled. Dora never could last long through the song. Normally, I would've still continued but Father stopped me. "Your friends are waiting. I'll watch her."

"You sure?" He nodded. "Ok then…" I kissed his cheek, knowing my friends were likely to hold my attention for the rest of the night. "Goodnight, Father."

"Goodnight, Hope." I made my way back to the living room, tuning out the cries that still struggled for an answer. The danger of experimenting with animal DNA and humans: some become more animal and less human… Much more…

"Hope! Where are you? Zathan's hogging the snacks!" The call brought me back to earth as well as a well-needed laugh. Zathan was known to eat a lot.

"Zathan, share the snacks," I told him, joining my rather eclectic "pack". Pack here simply referred to my closest friends. This included my male counterpart, Zathan the wolf; my betas Loni, Elli, and Royelle who were a snake, jaguar, and komodo dragon respectively; and the dopplegangers, Duck the goose and Coda the bat. Coda was actually in training with the other nocturnal humutts right now, but he'd almost certainly join us later.

I took a seat between Duck and Loni, using Loni as a pillow and Duck as a footrest. "Anything good on TV?" Royelle tilted her head from side to side in an "eh" motion.

"Looks like an interview with your dad and Ceasar."

"And may I just say that Mr. C is looking extra fine in this." We all gave our local flirt an incredulous look.

"He's wearing the same thing he always does, Loni. How can he be extra anything?"

"I have to agree with Zathan's logic on this one, Loni. Father wears the same outfit all the tame." Literally, his closet is a slew of red, black, and white. "He doesn't look any different than usual."

"Shh! They're talking about us!" We all turned our attention to the television. Naturally, we all knew they were actually talking about our past, not us. Only the Capitol still remembered we ever even "existed." And Ceasar Flickerman was just fascinated with us. It kinda bordered on obsessive.

"Now it's been several years since the, uh, experiments…"

"Humutts," Father corrected. Seemed no one ever remembered what we're called.

"Pardon me. Since the Humutts were eradicated by disease. Have there been any attempts to begin the program anew?"

"No. There were too many unsolved problems from the original program. The cost simply outweighed any good the Humutts could provide." That wasn't completely true. They had tried new methods for creating more mutts, but none were successful so it was terminated. Of course, Snow didn't want anyone to know.

"I see. So the Incident had nothing to do with this decision?" We all stiffened at the mention of a particularly ugly part of our short history. Father seemed just as uncomfortable.

"That might have had some… weight in the considerations, yes." Flickerman nodded in what I assumed was agreement.

"Such a shame that. The few Humutts I met were certainly quite tame and extremely polite considering." Father gave that smirk that meant I would be beating dozens of female, power-hungry scientists off for a month. Joy.

"Well, we were certainly proud of the way we trained them. In more ways than one." Smooth, Father. "Unfortunately, a risk in experimenting with animal DNA…"

_Eyes red with feral fury stared, sending a shiver of sheer terror down my spine…_

"Sometimes a few become more human than animal…"

_The creature stalked forward to corner me, raising one blood-soaked claw…_

"And too often… more animal than human…"

_I closed my eyes, bracing for the killing strike…_

The television clicked off, offering a desperately needed respite from a bad memory. "It's late. We have a big day tomorrow." I was surprised to hear Duck say. He turned his gaze to me, obviously waiting for my word. Once I was able to completely shake the cobwebs of memory from my brain, I nodded.

"He's right. Let's get to bed."


End file.
